His right leg weakened whenever he sought to sustain a hard effort for more than five minutes. He could sprint, but was losing ground on long climbs and time trials.

Two years of frustration ended with surgery in December to repair a damaged iliac artery near his hip, and the Team GEARGRINDER racer stamped himself officially cured with a victory in the inaugural Tour of America’s Dairyland. He took stage wins in the Giro d’ Grafton and the Downer Ave. Classic, and cashed two sprint prizes worth nearly $7,000.

In an interview following his victory, Hartley said success in the 10-race series removed any lingering doubts about his cycling health.

“Deep down, I really wanted to win and I knew that I was capable of winning. After my surgery over the winter, I wasn’t quite sure how I would hold up. I hadn’t raced for 10 or 11 days in a row. I knew my form was good and I knew I was in a position to have a good ride. I came out amazing.”

The recovery: In December, doctors grafted a vein from his ankle to replace the damaged portion of the iliac artery, which had “kinked” like a straw and restricted blood flow to his leg. Hartley, 28, started riding again in February.

“It felt awesome right away and I could get really low and really aerodynamic and my right leg wouldn’t die like it had.”

Cashing in on Downer Ave.: The bit prize in Hartley’s week of success was the $5,600 sprint prime offered by Ben’s Cycle in the Downer Ave. Classic criterium. After securing the cash award, he broke away to win the stage and line up the overall series title. It’s a beautiful thing when tactics and sprinting prowess come together.

“There have been some races on some other teams where collectively we made more money, but one shot one spring, that was the most lucrative.”

Embracing Milwaukee cycling: Hartley grew up in Hinsdale, Ill., where his family owns a bike shop, and turned pro at 19. Racing for Jittery Joe’s and other squads, he has lived in Georgia, Arizona, Portland and Colorado. He moved to Fox Point last year and joined team GEARGRINDER as a rider and manager.

“The Midwest scene can pretty much rival any other region in terms of its local racers. We have such a criterium bias here, so all the riders are really fast and really strong. I’d be willing to put most of our riders against just about any one in the region.”